Jean has extensive experience in external affairs, communication and media in the mining sector, which included work on several divestments and acquisitions. She also represented Rio Tinto, Barrick Gold and Placer Dome on the Chamber of Mines; BLSA (Business Leadership South Africa); WEF Africa; NEPAD Business Forum (NBF); African Union; Mining Indaba and various other forums and conferences, as well as at wide-ranging national, African and international government meetings and engagements.

She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and mentoring women and young professionals to play a growing role in Africa’s development. As part of this, she continues to sit on the Board of Junior Achievement Africa (JA Africa). She was the first woman on the South African Chamber of Mines Executive Council for over six years, ending December 2012. She chaired the Chamber of Mines Communications Committee and sat on the Board of Rio Tinto Management Services and American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa (AmCham). She has thee diplomas in business studies from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK) and Journalism (SA). She participated in leadership development programmes at British Telecom, the CSIR and Rio Tinto.